Are you convinced that sword swallowing is an art and not a trick?

Use this forum to discuss the May 2018 Book of the Month, "The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid" by Gary Robinson
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k2rugman
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Re: Are you convinced that sword swallowing is an art and not a trick?

Post by k2rugman »

I've never seen this trick in person so I tend to be a skeptic. My dad used to be a magician and I grew up seeing a lot of magic tricks and one thing I learned is that there is always a secret. Something that looks totally convincing isn't what it seems. But I've also seem humans do some incredible things. So I guess I don't really know.
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Keri wood
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Post by Keri wood »

I believe it's an art it takes lots of practice to safely do it. Would love to see it done looks really cool.
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Mary WhiteFace
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Post by Mary WhiteFace »

A Master of Illusion is an Artist.

I believe we could all agree that Duke was a Master at his profession. So, whether sword swallowing is a "trick" or not, when performed by Duke it was an art.

Obviously, it can be taught and learned as sword swallowing has been a part of the traveling circus tradition for generations.

My previous statement made me a little curious about the actual history of sword swallowing. So I did a little research and found that sword swallowing goes back thousands of years to India, where it was performed by shaman priests. (SwordSwallowing.com)

Further down the Google page I found an interesting article written in the Washington Post by Ryan F. Mandelbaum on 2/16/2016 that goes into great detail about how it's done, complete with a video that includes a live x-ray. Incredible!!! And, yes, it can be taught and learned. Just not by the average person...lol
I should amend that statement, in the video one of the sword swallowers says that anyone can learn it... I just find that hard to swallow. (Bad pun intended...lol)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/spe ... wallowing/

While proofreading my comments just before posting, I almost removed my statement where I said, "...whether it is a "trick" or not,..." as my research later shows it obviously is not a trick. I decided to leave it in to show that I didn't already know it was not a trick before I began my post.

Not to say that "all" sword swallowers are actually swallowing authentic metal swords. But I believe Duke Reynolds (whose name was changed per the Preface of the book) was the Real Deal.
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Post by Anon_Reviewer »

Duke is definitely not a fraud because sword swallowing is a skill. It's a skill I wouldn't want to acquire but many daring people around the world, like Duke, make a living out of performing as sword swallowers. It's not magic or anything like that :lol2:
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Mary WhiteFace
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Post by Mary WhiteFace »

I'm not trying to be off topic here, but I have a question about the post I made earlier today. It was made at 11:59 on 6/11/18. Two posts before this one. There is a solid gray bar across the bottom of it. I haven't noticed the gray bar across any other posts before. What does that mean?
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folkshot
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Post by folkshot »

I think it's both art and a trick. Not everyone can do it there is beauty to a well-learned skill.
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TashaCrispin
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Post by TashaCrispin »

I think it could be either. Some swallow swords for real while others do tricks. Whether Duke is a fraud or not am unsure. Sounds impossible but am keeping an open mind.
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10mile72
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Post by 10mile72 »

I had always just assumed it was real. And Duke did injure himself doing it.
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Roggyrus
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Post by Roggyrus »

Sword swallowing is an art. It is considered a trick if there is no swallowing involved and it is only an illusion just like what the used to do when stabbing in films by the use of a knife with a retractable blade.
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Post by revna01 »

I believe it's a carefully-crafted art with serious consequences if not done properly. That said, I'm convinced there are some tricks of the trade that go into it, and no one should attempt such a thing without knowing what those are.
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Nmesoma
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Post by Nmesoma »

If I can swallow a sword, I'd be casting spells with Merlin, it's an art.
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RedLetter
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Post by RedLetter »

It appears that you have actually asked two separate questions between the title of this and what you actually ask in the body of the question.

For the first part "Are you convinced that sword swallowing is an art and not a trick? I would have to say yes, I do believe it is an art. Simply because the performer actually DOES swallow the sword. It is not a slight of hand like a magician showing a card trick.

That leads e into your second question, "Do you believe it can be taught?" Yes, it would have to be taught. And it would take lots and lots of practice, with numerous injuries, I suspect. So to practice and learn to be good at sword swallowing would have to be an art, because not everyone can do it.
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Post by Rosemary Okoko »

I think in this case sword swallowing is a necessary art that is to be applied in the trick.
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Post by Cardinalsparrow »

I think sword swallowing is an art. Even if it's a trick, it sure does require a lot of skill and concentration...
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MollyEnter
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Post by MollyEnter »

My opinion is that sword swallowing is an art and a sport. It takes physical agility and a showman's performance to really capture an audience.
"There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner.”
– Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale
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